Thirteen years after Voguéo's unfortunate experience, a cooperative hopes to relaunch a river shuttle service on the Seine for the Olympic Games next year. This private initiative would be aimed at both tourists and commuters wishing to recover a RER.

"It's quite absurd not to have public river transport in Ile-de-France," laments Dany Carvalho. This naval officer, whom the confinement linked to the Covid-19 pandemic brought back to earth, set out to resurrect the water coches, numerous in the region a century ago. He envisioned a whole network serving twenty stopovers on the Seine and the Marne, nicely named "MonBeauBateau" (or "Mon BB" for those close to him).

"By using eco-friendly boats, we aim to complement existing public transport services," the young CEO of RiverCat, a cooperative society created for the occasion, told AFP.

First step: a line crossing all of Paris, which would be launched in spring 2024 between Issy-les-Moulineaux (Hauts-de-Seine) and Alfortville (Val-de-Marne). The journey would take an hour and fifteen from start to finish, at 12 km/h in the capital and 20 km/h in the suburbs, with stops at Beaugrenelle, Les Invalides, the Louvre and the Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand, every half hour from 6 a.m. to 22 p.m.

Six catamarans of 100 seats each at first

The inspiration comes from London and Rotterdam, and six conventional catamarans of 100 seats, using biofuels based on vegetable oils, must be rented in the Netherlands, before the construction of electric ships, hopes Dany Carvalho. He spoke with the port of Paris "to have an agreement for the temporary occupation of port calls". Haropa Port, which manages the port, confirms that it received a request at the end of April.

RiverCat expects tickets costing between 3 and 8 euros depending on the route, with booklets, subscriptions and discounts for Navigo Pass holders. This "Paris line" is not part of the transport plans for the Olympic Games, but RiverCat is obviously counting on the event to impose it.

Avoid traffic jams

Another much shorter link, also on the Seine, is to be tested in Essonne, during the Olympics, from July 25 to September 9, 2024. It must connect every quarter of an hour Soisy-sur-Seine to Ris-Orangis and Juvisy-sur-Orge, to reach a strategic station where two RER lines pass.

"It will be possible to cross the Seine (...) without emitting CO2 and especially without having to bear traffic jam constraints" particularly dense in this sector, welcomed the mayor of Juvisy, Lamia Bensarsa Reda, quoted in the municipal newspaper.

Four small, futuristic boats will be rented to the Norwegian company Hyke, which will take care of "the whole package" according to its managing director Bjorn Utgard: "The all-electric boats, the docks with integrated charging stations and the autonomy solutions that will allow the boats to navigate by themselves. "

"If it is successful"

A first boat of the same model is to be launched in June in Norway, the official told AFP, adding that several cities are interested, including in France. "For too long, water has been neglected as an urban transport infrastructure and a blue lung in a city," he says.

These 50-seater shuttles will first be piloted by a human, before operating in total autonomy. The project is also supported by Voies navigables de France (VNF), which was looking for demonstrators of carbon-free autonomous boats for the Olympics.

This link in the Essonne is called to be perpetuated "if the success is at the rendezvous". A "promenade line" is also planned on weekends, to the center of Paris.

A line on the Canal de l'Ourcq under study

"We are not asking for subsidies. We have an economic model based on the Paris line and that allows us to be profitable during the fourth year of service" thanks to the 70% of tourists expected, says Dany Carvalho. He specifies to be "in the process of raising funds of 3 million euros", a sum according to him necessary "to start the service".



Ile-de-France Mobilités, which has multiplied studies in recent years, remains doubtful. The last experiment, the Voguéo river shuttle southeast of Paris, was abandoned after three years in 2011, because it was not very busy and very expensive.

The regional transport authority is studying a line on the Canal de l'Ourcq, between Jaurès (north-east of Paris) and Bondy (Seine-Saint-Denis).

  • Local
  • Paris
  • Ile
  • Seine
  • Paris 2024 Olympics
  • Shuttle
  • Transport
  • Mobility